Chapter 2

Thump!

"Ouch!" cried Ruby as the door hit her in the back of the head.

"Sorry honey, but what are you doing in front of your door?"

"I…I... Oh nothing mom." Ruby stammered, getting to her feet and brushing some cobwebs off her pj bottoms.

"Okay… well breakfast will be ready in 5 so you better get dressed."

"Sure…sure mom, I'll be down in a few." Her mother closed the door and her footsteps could be heard padding softy down

the wood stairs. Ruby rubbed her eyes and stared down her room; top to bottom making sure that NOTHING was there

out of the ordinary. As far as she could tell everything was in its place, if it could be called that. Three boxes of clothes

were stacked in the far corner near the bathroom. Assortments of photo albums were still lying open on the floor right

where she had left them. Everything seemed perfect. Everything except Miranda, her Raggedy Anne doll. Miranda's face

was shredded and blackened by what looked like soot. What made matters worse was that Miranda was sitting straight

up on Ruby's bed, staring in her direction. Miranda's plastic eyes seemed to be lit with an iridescent glow; they looked

almost… alive. Ruby stared at the doll, refusing to lose eye contact in fear of what might have possessed Miranda, but

fearing what hypnosis might grab hold of her if she kept staring into her eyes. Inching slowly to the window, and keeping

her back on the wall and her eyes set on Miranda, Ruby open the window as far as the panes would let, a cool film of

sweat rolled down her face. The doll's head panned left toward Ruby as she was tiptoeing to the window, its eyebrows

cast downward in a glare as a slow smile began to creep up the doll's face, ripping the stitching. Ruby was in a shock but

she quickly put mind over matter and in one swift, desperate movement, she snatched up Miranda and threw her out the

window. Ruby watched as the doll hit the pavement with a soft thud. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ruby turned back around

to close the window. But, there was Miranda, in the same spot on the bed as she had been only a few seconds before,

staring at Ruby with hard plastic eyes now glowing a deep red. Ruby stammered and mumbled a few short gasps that

sounded somewhat like:

"You…but… I …window…out…sitting…bed…. how!" Following these fragments was a short wail and a run for her door.

Throwing the door open, Ruby scrambled down the stairs, her feet missing every other step or so, causing her to make

loud thumping noises.

"Geez" joked Ruby's mother to the frightened girl as she came crashing into the kitchen, "I thought we had a herd of

elephants in our house." Her mother's smile faded as she saw her daughter's face. "Oh my God almighty in heaven, Ruby!

What happened to your face! It looks like you sent it through a cheese grater. And by your expression I might think you've

been through Hell and back!"

"Yeah…"gasped Ruby, "Something like that." Ruby found a chair and dropped down into it, resting her back against the

frame so that she was slouching quiet a bit. She just needed time to think.

She closed her eyes and laid a hand on her stomach; it was cold and in knots. Every micrometer of her face stung like the

wrath of a thousand wasps. Ruby's mom walked towards her with a plate of bacon and pancakes. She laid the plate in

front of ruby and then procceded back to the kitchen stove to grab her own breakfast. Meanwhile, Ruby had taken a few

napkins and was wiping the blood tenderly off her face and her hands.

"So what exactly happened last night Ruby?" her mom questioned intently. Ruby looked up at her mother; a glazed look

overcome in her eyes.

"Mom you wouldn't believe me if I told you" Ruby's mother shook her head.

"Of course I would honey."

"Okay the, remember back at our old house? The creature we had to destroy because it was eating the children?" Ruby's

mother's eyes opened wide in fright.

"No…no…no…Ruby! We killed that thing!"her mother shot out of her chair in a fit of hysteria, "No!" she screamed, "its dead

its dead! I killed it! Nooo!". She let out a long wail and covered her face with her hands.

"Ya well now its back" Ruby said in an oddly calm voice, "and its possesing Miranda."

Her mother dropped onto her knees and sat motionless, staring blankly at the linoluim.

"Oh" was the only word she could muster.